Research and development of various fingerprint authentication systems have been conducted. Current fingerprint authentication systems are based on a “pattern (image) matching process”, a “minutia process”, a “minutia and relation process” or a “frequency analysis process”, for example.
The “pattern matching process” is to specify a particular limited area of a fingerprint and check the pattern of ridges in the area by fingerprint image superposition.
The “minutia process” is to extract and register information on 20 to 30 end points or branch points of ridges in a captured fingerprint image and perform checking based on the information.
The “minutia and relation process” is to regard a fingerprint as matching with another fingerprint only when both of a minutia and relation information agree with each other between the two fingerprints.
The “frequency analysis process” is to regard a cross section of a slice of the pattern of ridges and grooves of a fingerprint as a waveform and uses the waveform spectral series as feature information to perform checking based on the maximum correlation.
In addition, Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-86130) discloses speed-up of an authentication process performed by a fingerprint authentication system used by a large number of users. The fingerprint authentication system that speeds up the authentication process described in the Patent Literature 1 is a fingerprint authentication system having a plurality of fingerprint sensors that comprises group identification means that identifies a group to which fingerprint data belongs according to the fingerprint sensor to which the fingerprint data is input in a fingerprint data input processing, registration means that registers the input fingerprint data in a storage device in association with the group identified by the group identification means in a fingerprint data registration processing, and checking means that checks the input fingerprint data against the fingerprint data associated with the same group as the input fingerprint data of the fingerprint data registered in the storage device in a fingerprint data authentication processing.
In addition, Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-164680) discloses a radio communication terminal that has an advanced security function that permits only a plurality of particular terminal users registered in advance to use the radio communication terminal, and a terminal user identification method.
The radio communication terminal described in Patent Literature 2 is a radio communication terminal provided with a PTT switch that comprises a fingerprint reading part provided in the PTT switch, a storage part in which fingerprint data for a plurality of terminal users and ID number information including at least user ID numbers set for the terminal users whose fingerprint data is registered can be registered, a fingerprint authentication part that checks fingerprint data read by the fingerprint reading part against the fingerprint data registered in the storage part, means of making the radio communication terminal operate according to the checking result from the fingerprint authentication part, and means of acquiring one piece of ID number information from the storage part based on the checking result from the fingerprint authentication part.
In addition, Patent Literature 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-277415) discloses a registration device of a fingerprint authentication system based on a difference in physical characteristics between users. The registration device described in Patent Literature 3 comprises an input part to which biological information on a registration target is input, an advance extraction part that extracts first feature data from the biological information in a predetermined feature extraction method, a classification part that determines classification data for classifying the biological information as any of a plurality of groups based on the first feature data, a feature extraction part that extracts second feature data from the biological information in a corresponding one of feature extraction methods specified for the plurality of groups, and a registration part in which the first feature data, the second feature data and the classification data are registered in association with each other as reference biological information.